Join us from 5 to 7 tonight at Margaret's Cafe at 805 N. 5th Street in Toronto for "First Friday," the Chamber's new, one-and-only "non-event."

﻿Treat yourself to some downtime at the end of a tough work week. Come alone or bring a friend, co-worker, or spouse. Our host this month, Margaret's Cafe, will be offering great drink and appetizer specials. So knock off a little early, stop for a quick bite before you head home, or take the night off from cooking and call ahead for take-out.

And there's no need to RSVP - because, you know, it's not really an event. See you there!

The Tri-State Home & Garden Show is Back!

On Friday, March 23, the 2018 Tri-State Home & Garden Show will kick off with a complimentary "Business After Hours," sponsored byWheelhouse CreativeandPiergallini Catering,at St. Florian Hallin Wintersville. The three-day event showcases over 50 local businesses and their products and services. "Business After Hours" is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and is open to all Chamber members and exhibitors. Home show hours on Friday are 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Weekend hours are Saturday, 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Piergallini Catering will be featuring Lenten specials on Friday and great food all weekend. There will be many door prize drawings sponsored by exhibitors. Guests may also enter to win a flat-screen television compliments of Wheelhouse Creative.

Co-sponsored by theWeirton Area Chamber of Commerce, this three-day event is a great opportunity to put your name in front of literally thousands of attendees. Last year, over 4,000 attendees came out to gather information and meet local businesses ranging from home-related products and services to financial institutions, computer and WiFi services, and more. Furthermore, the Home & Garden Show is a great first-quarter advertising and promotional tool for businesses and organizations of any size or type. For information on exhibitor pricing, please see the Mark Your Calendar section below.

Today's Featured Video

Breaking Down the Steel Wars

A Quick History of Our Ongoing Battles with Foreign Steel

﻿

As President Donald Trump and his administration tussle over their approach to protecting the U.S. steel industry while trading with foreign steel, this video from the Wall Street Journal breaks down our history of tariffs and quotas and how this has impacted steel at home and our standing abroad.

You Can Get A Handle On Your Marketing. And We Can Help.

Whether you own or manage a small business, run a non-profit organization, or are in charge of marketing for a large corporation, the goals remain pretty much the same. Utilize the marketing channels that you can afford and that make the most sense in reaching your goals. Sounds simple enough, right? But it can be one of the most overwhelming and frustrating tasks there is. So much so, in fact, that when surveyed, most small business owners say the most neglected area of their business is their marketing, especially social media marketing.

The Chamber is here to help. Beginning with this issue, each week in "In The Know" we are going to provide solid, easy-to-follow tips and strategies to get you up to speed in all areas of marketing, from print to radio and social media to television. We'll be calling on our members in these industries to help, letting you learn from those who have years of experience and can lay it all out in words that everyone can understand. From basic to advanced information, the goal is to have something for everyone. You may print or save these articles each week, and before you know it, you'll have the marketing manual that you always wanted - one you can refer to again and again.

Want even more information? Mark your calendars now for the first quarterly workshop of 2018, "Marketing 101," which will be held in April of 2018 at Hellenic Hall in downtown Steubenville from 9 a.m. until noon. We'll be covering many topics, including social media, print, radio, customer service, television, website development, basic design & layout, and more. Watch "In The Know" and your email for more information.

And check out our first article, "How To Use Hashtags On Every Social Media Network," by Sprout Social by clicking here. This article offers great explanations of the "never-quite-understood" hashtag and how to use them effectively on each social media platform. Great stuff!

Remember to visit individual member websites by clicking on the business name or logo.

From April 16 to 26, 2018, Historic Fort Steuben will be hosting its annual Spring Quilt Show. All quilt owners and makers are invited to submit their toppers for display.

Application forms are available at the Visitor Center or online and must be submitted by March 26 in order to be assured a place in the exhibit. The quilts will be displayed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

The Ohio Valley Cloak & Dagger Company, in partnership with Striplight Theatre, presents "Murder at the Swim Meet," an original melodrama written and directed by Pete Fernbaugh and Kendra Wickham. Featuring Ben Fedoush of Weir High School and Odessa Hores of Brooke High School, along with Bethany Fernbaugh, Emily Hores, Evan Oslund, and Lakin Weaver, "Murder at the Swim Meet" will be performed at The Victorian Hall, which is located at 1801 Pennsylvania Avenue, on Saturday, March 3, 2018, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $30 and should be purchased in advance by calling 304-479-2636. The price includes dinner, the show, and two drink tickets. Proceeds go to benefit the Weir High School Swim Team.

Do you want your Morsel included in "In The Know"?

There's no charge. Just click the button below and fill out the short online form.

Are you eager to fulfill your entrepreneurial dreams? Do you have an idea for a business but are not sure where to start? Or are you in the early stages of operating your own business but could use some guidance? If any of these apply to you, the Chamber has a great opportunity for you.

This workshop will present an overview of issues related to starting and operating a business, including business and financial planning, market demand, financing and more.

Stay Connected with Chamber news and updates by following our social media pages

For more information, please contact Rob Vandine at Wheelhouse Creativehere. To view or print a full-color home show brochure, please click here.

To RSVP or get more information on any Chamber event, please visit the Chamber website and click on the event you wish to view on the scrolling event calendar. Or print a hard copy by clicking the button below.

Up-to-Date Information from the Ohio and United States Chamber of Commerce

NLRB Reverts Back to

﻿Unworkable Joint-Employer Test

Earlier this week, in what employers hope is just a temporary – but stinging – setback, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) vacated its December ruling that freed employers from having to deal with an unworkable and expansive legal test for determining whether an entity is considered a “joint employer.”

Brought about by allegations that one of the NLRB’s three-member majority was ethically compromised due to his former law firm’s involvement in a related case, this decision brings the joint-employer test back into play – at least for now.

A History of the Joint-Employer Test

For 30 years, the NLRB held that two companies could only be considered joint employers if they shared or co-determined matters governing the essential terms and conditions of employment. Under this standard, an employer was held to be jointly employing workers only if it actually exercised the right to control. Moreover, the exercise of such control must have been direct, immediate, and not limited or routine.﻿

The Q1 Metlife & U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index shows a surge in confidence, moving up more than three points to 66.3.

It’s the biggest jump in the Index since it was launched in 2017.

The Index found a big leap in small business optimism towards the national economy—up 17 percentage points (55% vs. 38%) since Q4 2017. For the first time, the Index shows small businesses are more confident in the national economy than their local economies (46%).

A lot of this increased economic confidence could be due to last December’s tax reform, which small businesses love:

you to a business book or magazine that will inspire, teach, inform, or elevate you, professionally and personally. This week's book is:

Culture Code:

The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups

by Daniel Coyle

Where does great culture come from? How do you build and sustain it in your group or strengthen a culture that needs fixing?

In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle goes inside some of the world's most successful organizations--including the U.S. Navy's SEAL Team Six, IDEO, and the San Antonio Spurs--and reveals what makes them tick. He demystifies the culture-building process by identifying three key skills that generate cohesion and cooperation and explain how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind.

Theodor Geisel was born. The world would come to know him as Dr. Seuss, the unique creator of such treasured classics as "Horton Hears a Who!," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!," and "The Lorax." His first bestseller was "The Cat in the Hat" in 1957, written after his publisher realized how bored children were getting with the traditional reading primers. Incidentally, that first bestseller came 20 years after his first book was published, "And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street." Dr. Seuss also wrote the perennial gift for graduates, "Oh, the Places You'll Go." For more on this remarkable man, please see this article.

- 8,143,088 -

The number of copies Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham has sold worldwide, making it his bestselling book. His first bestseller comes in at #2 with well over 7,000,000 copies sold.